The Department has just announced the availability of the 2009 Professional Development Fellowship Program for Foreign Service Eligible Family Members and Members of Household. Note that this year, unlike the previous years, applications for start-up business costs will not be considered according to the announcement.
The FLO Professional Development Fellowship program is open to spouses and member of household partners of direct hire US Government employees under Chief of Mission Authority. This program is designed to assist those Eligible Family Member (EFM) spouses and member of household (MOH) unmarried partners who are not in a position to pursue their career paths overseas to maintain, enhance, and/or develop their professional skills.
Fellowships of up to $2,000 will be granted on a reimbursable basis for enrichment activities. Selected applicants must fund 25% of the cost of the proposed activities while the Fellowship stipend will cover the additional 75% of the cost up to the $2,000 maximum. Activities can include, but are not limited to, continuing education, distance learning, professional development, participation in professional conferences, and dues for membership in professional organizations.
Family members should note the program changes as outlined in paragraph 2.
PROGRAM CHANGES
Previously this program was made possible through the generosity of the Una Chapman Cox Foundation. Historically, the Foundation funds pilot programs for up to three years, after which time they rely on the success of the program to justify and generate institutional funding. Such is the case with the 2009 fellowships for which FLO has obtained appropriated funds. As a result, in order to comply with federal regulations, reimbursement for start-up business costs will not be considered.
ELIGIBILITY
Applicants must be the spouse or member of household partner of a direct-hire US Government employee who is available for an overseas posting. Overseas this includes EFM spouses and MOH partners of a direct-hire US Government employee or uniformed military service member under Chief of Mission authority. While eligible applicants residing in the US may apply, preference will be given to those eligible applicants currently posted or assigned overseas (see Selection Criteria, paragraph 7). Previous fellowship awardees who meet the eligibility requirements may apply again.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Applicants should submit a completed application form, which can be found here (pdf). Applications must contain a one-to-two sentence synopsis followed by a detailed description of the proposed professional development program of activities. The program should be directly related to the applicant’s professional interests and the proposal must explain how the activities will enhance the applicant’s skills or future employment potential. As noted above, proposals may include a wide-range of activities. Proposals should provide a detailed breakdown of the expenses involved and give an indication of how the stipend would be used. Applications should be limited to two (2) pages (see application form).
All applications received will be acknowledged by email within three business days of receipt. Unacknowledged applications will not be considered.
REIMBURSED COSTS
Applicants should be aware that, if selected, the Fellowship will reimburse 75% of the proposed cost up to $2000 and the applicant will be responsible for 25% of the proposed cost. Travel, transportation, lodging costs, per diem are not reimbursable under this program.
SELECTION COMMITTEE
Proposals will be reviewed by a selection committee chaired by the Family Liaison Office (FLO) and will include representatives from the geographic bureaus.
SELECTION CRITERIA
In selecting grantees, the Selection Committee will consider the following factors:
a. Unavailability of employment options in the applicant's profession at her/his current post of assignment.
b. Correlation between the proposed activity and professional development of the applicant.
c. Where applicable, a connection between the proposed activity and other effort(s) on the part of the applicant to maintain/refresh her/his professional skills (i.e. if the proposal is part of a larger professional development plan).
Proposals from applicants residing at Historically Difficult to Staff (HDS) posts will receive preference as will proposals from posts where no Bilateral Work Agreement or de facto work arrangement is in place.
The link to the bilateral and de facto list follows is below:
http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c24338.htm
HISTORICALLY DIFFICULT TO STAFF (HDS) POSTS
EAP Posts
Bandar Seri Begawan, Dili, Guangzhou, Kolonia, Majuro, Naha, Port Moresby, Seoul, Shenyang
EUR Posts
Banja Luka, Chisinau, Minsk, Podgorica, Pristina, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg, Yerevan
AF Posts
Abidjan, Abuja, Asmara, Bamako, Bangui, Banjul, Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Conakry, Cotonou, Djibouti City, Douala, Freetown, Khartoum, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lagos, Libreville, Lilongwe, Lome, Luanda, Malabo, Monrovia, Ndjamena, Niamey, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou, Praia, Yaounde
WHA Posts
Cuidad Juarez, Georgetown, Hermosillo, Kingston, Nogales, Paramaribo, Port Au Prince
NEA Posts
Amman, Baghdad, Jeddah, Jerusalem, Riyadh, Sanaa
SCA Posts
Ashgabat, Astana, Dhaka, Dushanbe, Islamabad, Kabul, Kolkata, Lahore,
PROJECT COMPLETION
Successful applicants will be expected to complete their proposed professional development program within 12 months of selection notification. Fellowship recipients will be required to submit a Project Report describing program activities and accomplishments as well as a Financial Report providing a detailed budget of the project. Those selected can submit receipts for qualifying expenses incurred at any time during the activity but not later than thirty days after project completion. Fellowship recipients are required to commence and complete the activity during the Fellowship program year, i.e., August 2009-August 2010. There will be no extensions and no exceptions to this requirement.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Proposals are due in M/DGHR/FLO no later than May 8, 2009.
Proposals can be submitted as follows:
- faxed to M/DGHR/FLO Attn: FLO Fellowship at (202) 647-1670
- emailed to FLOAskFellowship@state.gov
- mailed or hand carried to M/DGHR/FLO, Department of State, 2201 C ST, NW, Room 1239 HST, Washington, DC 20520
See the whole thing including examples of fellowship awards and travel expenses in the official announcement here. Good luck!!!
